Regulators Unveil PPA Changes to Form 5500

In a news release, the US Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA), the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) said that the proposals would implement changes to the annual reporting and pension funding requirements of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) and Internal Revenue Code enacted as part of the Pension Protection Act (PPA).

The proposals also supplement a more general revision of the 2008 Form 5500proposed by the agencies in July 2006 . The supplemental proposal would replace the Schedule B (Actuarial Information) filed by defined benefit pension plans with separate actuarial schedules for multiemployer plans and single employer plans.

According to the announcement, the supplemental proposal also would add questions to the Schedule R (Retirement Plan Information) to collect new information on defined benefit pension plans required under the PPA.Finally, the supplemental proposal would establish the Form 5500-SF, which was part of the agencies’ July 2006 proposal, as the simplified report required by PPA for plans with fewer than 25 participants.

In the past, pension and welfare benefit plans required to file an annual return/report regarding their financial condition, investments and operations each year generally satisfied that requirement by filing the Form 5500 Annual Return/Report of Employee Benefit Plan and any required attachments.

The public is encouraged to submit comments on the proposed supplemental form revisions electronically by e-mail to e-ori@dol.gov or through the federal e-rulemaking portal at www.regulations.gov.Comments may also be submitted on paper to the Office of Regulations and Interpretation, Employee Benefits Security Administration, Room N-5669, U. S. Department of Labor, 200 Constitution Ave., N.W., Washington, D.C. 20210, Attn: Supplemental Forms Revisions.